Review: 'Where Angels Rest' by Kate Brady

Review: 'Where Angels Rest' by Kate Brady

The Angelmaker is in position to abduct his latest prey, a young woman who sees what she shouldn’t. Her routine is easy to follow: She travels the same road at the same time. The Angelmaker sets a trap at the roadside. However, the wrong woman is abducted. In a fit of rage, The Angelmaker murders the woman and leaves her in a ditch at the roadside. Plans will be adjusted, the right woman’s time will come and The Angelmaker’s goal accomplished.

Sherriff Nicholas Mann takes the protection of his town seriously and believes he has created a haven in Hopewell for its inhabitants and Hannah, his young daughter. Aside from an annoying reporter, his cases are best described as mundane, such as possums invading households in the middle of the night and teenagers rebelling against parental authority. It’s the anniversary of his wife’s murder, and Nick takes off to his isolated country cabin for his annual “hell weekend” — a time when he drowns himself in booze and grief, revisiting his demons, the criminals who got away during his years as a Los Angeles police detective. On his way out of town, Nick hits a bump in the road: a woman whom he initially believes he killed. Racing to her side, Nick discovers he has instead hit a corpse. The victim has obviously been murdered, but it’s outside his jurisdiction, so Nick contacts appropriate authorities.

As Nick resumes his trip, psychologist Dr. Erin Sims flies from Florida to Ohio and blasts into Hopewell with the force of an F-5 tornado. Erin has been on a decade-long quest to prove her brother, Justin, is innocent of murdering a young woman who was the daughter of a U.S. senator. Justin was slated for execution, but Erin presented evidence that John Huggins, the man she believes really committed the murder and others, is living in Hopewell under the alias John Calloway. At the 11th hour a judge stays her brother’s execution for one week. The information Erin has uncovered is sent to Sheriff Nick Mann for investigation.

Calloway and his artist wife Margaret own and operate Hilltop, a bed-and-breakfast with an art pottery gift shop. The clock is ticking, and Erin wastes no time in confronting Calloway on his own turf, confirming he is indeed John Huggins. John and Erin have quite a history, and when she turns up at Hilltop, he greets her with a rifle. Erin ends up at the sheriff’s office.

Nick’s deputies, family and friends know not to disturb him while he is on his “retreat,” but Erin won’t take no for an answer. Justin’s time is limited. She wants the sheriff looking into John Calloway’s background immediately, if not sooner:

She knocked. Nothing. She knocked again, harder, and the door glided open. She stepped inside.

“Sheriff Mann?” she called. “Sheriff, my name is Erin Sims. I need to talk to you.”

Nothing.

She glanced around. The light came from deeper in the house, sputtering as if from a candle or lantern, maybe a fireplace. There was no furniture, no curtains, no heat. No sign of life save for the flicker of light, the Styrofoam cooler outside on the porch and the open door.

“Sheriff?” Her voice echoed and she realized the floors had been stripped. A row of bare carpet tacks poked up across a threshold, like a strip of tire spikes. She stepped over it and followed the light through an archway down a wide hall, the scent of burning firewood luring her deeper into the house. “Sheriff?”

She rounded a corner and nearly jumped for her skin. A man sat in the center of an empty room — a large black silhouette in a wooden chair with his hands in his lap, the fire glowing behind him. The shape of a giant pistol showed in the dimness, idly pointed in her direction.

“Rumor has it you almost got shot once tonight,” he said. “You looking to try again?”

Nick has every intention of throwing Erin out on her ear, but when one of his deputies arrives with coffee and evidence regarding Justin’s case, his detective instincts activate. Erin’s belief in her brother’s innocence seems obsessive. However, the issue with Calloway changing his name and moving to Hopewell does have to be looked into. And there is the fact Erin looks banged up: It turns out someone tried to run her down in the parking lot at the prison, and the red flags begin to fall. Little does Nick know.

When John Calloway disappears and more than one resident of Hopewell murdered, Nick works tirelessly with his team and Erin unraveling a mystery that keeps getting murkier. In the background Erin unwittingly ingratiates herself into Hannah and his life.

Where Angels Rest is a lightly sensual romantic suspense featuring a ruggedly sexy tortured hero who is protective and brilliant. Oh, and he can cook, too. Erin has a large closet full of rattling skeletons that make her wary. She doesn’t give her trust easily. However, Nick Mann is the first cop to give her the time of day. He shows her compassion. He believes her.

Kate Brady writes remarkable prose providing a stunning visual of each scene. The fast-paced plot reveals a string of horrific murders that have been perpetrated over a period of years. The tone is dark and gritty with an overarching sense of menace as a devious serial killer manipulates the main characters like puppets on strings. That said, the author tempers the tone of her narrative with clever subtle wit. The veteran detective in Nick Mann feels the killer is calling the shots, but as the body count and number of missing increase he continues to overturn stones, revealing a decade of treachery, deceit and an absolutely heinous discovery. Brady pulled me into this story from the opening paragraph and kept me riveted through its violent, frightening conclusion.

If you enjoy a dark, pulse-pounding thriller Where Angels Rest is a highly recommended read. Nick’s brother Luke is given a pivotal role in this novel, and his story, Twice Dead, will be available in 2013. I can’t wait.

Lea Franczak cannot remember a time when she didn’t have a book in her hand. She’s read and enjoyed multiple genres but is especially partial to contemporary and erotic romance (with or without D/s themes), dark gritty romantic suspense and paranormal romance. Lea also writes reviews at Book Lovers Inc. and is active on Goodreads.